In Love with a Black-Leathered Criminal {COMPLETED}

Part 7

Marinette didn't realize her feelings until he had come over after a hard day at her new job. Being an assistant to a model and fashion designer was more tiring than she imagined. When she came home, she saw Chat, perched on her railing like he did every night. When Marinette was done working for the day, he would also call it a day and wait for Marinette, as Chat. He knew that his behaviour was a bit obsessive, reminding him of his behaviour when he liked Ladybug, but he couldn't help that he wanted to see her all day. He had watched her leave for her nightly patrols as Ladybug, the way her long hair magically made itself into a slick back high ponytail was so amazing to him. Her suit covered her curves perfectly and when she swung through the air, it was so graceful.

"Chat, are you going to pick a game or not?" Chat had been staring down at two different games for longer than necessary. Crash Bandicoot: Warped or Spyro the Dragon. Both for the original PlayStation. Chat often liked playing on Marinette's PlayStation when he visited, he was never able to find one that worked but Marinette borrowed this one from her father.

"How about...." He paused, tapping his index finger on his chin in thought. "Crash Bandicoot: Warped?"

"Fine by me," She shrugged, picking up her controller and ready to play. As they took turns playing through each level, Marinette often found herself in awkward silence, besides the background noise admitting from the T.V.

"Damn it!" He huffed in defeat as the game sounded a death sound. Chat passed Marinette the controller, annoyed that his claws made it surprisingly hard to use the controller. As she grabbed the controller, their fingers brushed. The brief contact made Marinette's face turn from her usual peach complexion to a strawberry red in seconds. She couldn't stop staring at him, and she felt like she was hit by a bus. After he left, she found herself thinking about him the rest of the night, and the days following. She wondered,

"What is he doing? Is he okay? Is he taking care of himself?" She was almost constantly thinking about his time and place. All she could think about was him. "Tikki..." She groaned, letting her voice trail off. The kwami sat on her pillow, next to Marinette's head. She was eating a chocolate chip cookie which would leave crumbs on her bed but Marinette didn't care right now.

"What is it Marinette?"

"I think I fell for Chat..." She waited for a response.

"Really?" Tikki asked. She wasn't surprised but she had gotten over her crush on Adrien and only Tikki knew that she had fallen for him again.

"Yeah, I was thinking about him all day again," Without a response, Tikki quickly hid in a drawer in her nightstand. Marinette looked to her door and saw the blonde staring back at her. "Chat didn't I tell you to knock when you want in?" She pouted, avoiding his gaze. She sat up in her bed and moved over, patting a space beside her.

"Sorry Princess," he crawled into bed next to her, laying down as she laid back down. As he turned around to face her, he realized how close his face was to hers, how close their lips were. Chat still had no idea what Marinette thought of him. He had to ask.

"Marinette, what do you think of me?"

"W-what?"

"What do you think of me?" His voice fell to a whisper. He looked into her blue belle eyes, and at her freckles and how her cheeks turned to a light pink colour when he asked the question.

"Well, you make me laugh, you're caring, you're..." She hesitated to say her next words.

"I'm what?" He asked, looking at her eyes, then to her peach; plump lips and back. Marinette leaned in, Chat's body doing the same. They both hesitated, knowing the consequences of their actions. Marinette would have to hide being Ladybug from Chat and Chat would have to tell Marinette that he was her boss. Marinette felt Chat's warm breath on her lips, and it made her more eager to kiss him. They both threw caution to the window, letting their lips brush then interlock. She felt his hand run over her waist and up her back, pulling her in closer. His other hand caressed her face, the claw of his thumb gently grazing her skin as it moved along her cheek. As they both pulled away, they opened their eyes slowly, as if waking from a dream. A 'Charlie Brown' like nervous smile spread across each other's face.

"Beautiful..." She said in a hushed tone. "You're beautiful"